Injury Prevention for Runners - Part 3

Apart from what were mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2 of this injury prevention series, there are a lot more injuries a runner may suffer from. In this part, focus is shifted to the ankle and below:

Archilles Tendonitis

Signs and Symptoms: A severe, burning pain in the tendon area; pain and/or stiffness in the tendon first thing in the morning; tenderness makes the area uncomfortable to touch; deep,marked swelling that moves with the tendon.

Possible Cause: Turning foot while running, straining the Archilles tendon while jumping or landing suddenly; inadequate fitness; weak calves; change in footwear; running on different surface; tight gastrocnemius; excessive pronation of the ankle and foot, causing the Archilles tendon to pull off-centre and become inflamed.

How to Prevent: stretch calf and hamstring muscles; lengthen the Archilles tendon; strengthen ankle muscles undertension (e.g. doing heel drop)

How can Pilates help: Lengthen Archilles tendon, calf and hamstrings by exercises like leg circle & inverted-V; restore proper alignment of the ankle and good sense of proprioception in the ankle joint.

Ankle Inversion Injury

Signs and Symptoms: feeling of tearing sensation, followed by a sharp pain; unable to walk withut feeling some pain; ankle is painful to touch; swelling or bruising on side of the foot.

Possible Cause: Landing awkwardly from a jump; changing direction suddenly or sudden deceleration during running; running on uneven surface; weak peronea (ankle) muscles; tight Archilles tendon; existing ankle injury.

How to Prevent: archieve good sense of balance with the ankle; build strength & around the abkle joint.

How can Pilates Help: improve strength, proprioception and co-ordination around the ankle joint; lengthen Archilles tendon.

Plantar Fasciitis

Signs and Symptoms: One-sided pain on the sole of the foot; pain when getting out of bed; pain during intitial weight-bearing in morning, which is aggravated with activitiy.

Possible Causes: Over-stretching of plantar fascia because of poor foot posutre, prolonged standing or excessive running; wearing shoes wiht inadequate arch support (stay-tuned for entry on correct footwear!) ; flexible arches of the foot; tight Archilles tendon.

How to prevent: Integrate foot muscle strengthening exercises into training programme; use a heel pad in your shoes; choose correct footwear (that doesnt not base solely on style!) that have a supportive arch and be suitable for the training you are doing.

How can Pilates Help: Strengthen muscles in the foot, especially in the arch; improve flexibility in the lower limbs.

*For Pilates Practicioners, stay-tuned as I will be summarising a list of Pilates exercises that can be done to prevent the running-related injuries.*